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Posts Tagged ‘astronomy’

Encounter with Mars

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on August 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday we flew to the Moon, so today what say we go to Mars? 

Created from thousands of images, the sequence begins with Mars as a small crescent in the distance. During close approach on May 15, the Red Planet’s cratered surface fills the imager instrument’s field of view. As the spacecraft departs Mars, the changing perspective reveals the planet’s icy south pole.   

Want to learn more about the mission? Here’s an article from NASA:

NASA’s Psyche Mission Delivers Mars Flyby Data, Time-lapse Video

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Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

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Buck Moon

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , on July 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Last night’s moon looked just shy of full, and like a scoop of orange creamsicle ice cream in the sky. Tonight, if the weather gods align, we should be treated to the real thing, the full Buck Moon. 

July 2026 Full Buck Moon

It’s called that because it happens around the time male deer start sprouting antlers in preparation for fall. It’s also known as the Raspberry Moon, which suits me just fine!

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I considered an image of raspberries, or orange ice cream, but this shot of a full moon over Montreal seemed like just the thing. Ice cream still sounds like a fine idea though. Photo by Edi Bouazza on Unsplash

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The 99%

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , on July 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Another fun astronomy fact today (and for many other days!).

99% of people on Earth will get sunlight at the same time this Wednesday

On July 8, at about 11:10 GMT, about 99 percent of the world experiences sunlight at the same time.

That is pretty cool!

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Photo by Ishan @seefromthesky on Unsplash

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Hello Helios

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on July 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Apologies for being ever so slightly behind the times on this, but we just (as in yesterday!) experienced aphelion. That’s right, on June July* 6th at 1:30pm EDT, the Earth and all of its inhabitants (that’s us!) were 152,087,775 kilometers or 94,502,962 miles away from our favorite life-giving ball of fire.

Perihelion and Aphelion 2026

The Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical path, which means that there is one point on the path closest to the Sun and one point that is farthest away from the Sun.

And in case you were wondering: Aphelion: Earth is as far away from the sun as it ever gets. So why is it so hot?

(* edited because it’s July now, somehow; catch up, brain! And on a related “really far away from the Sun” note, we just watched Project Hail Mary and thoroughly enjoyed it:) 

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Photo by Andrey Câmara on Unsplash

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Strawberry Moon Time

Posted in Food and..., Science!, tagged , , , , , , on June 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Tonight’s full moon is the first of the summer, and is also known for marking that sweetest of seasons, strawberry harvest time.

Strawberry moon: How to see the 1st full moon of summer

The moon will not actually appear dark red like a strawberry, but it may take on a slight orange or reddish tint when it first appears above the horizon. That color shift is caused by light scattering through Earth’s atmosphere, similar to the way some sunsets appear more vivid than others.

The farm down the road has pint baskets overflowing with red berries, and later I’m going to make a red and white dessert for Canada Day. 

As the moon watches from on high.

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Photo by Lucinda Hershberger on Unsplash

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Father Solstice

Posted in Holidays, tagged , , , , , , on June 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy Father’s Day, fathers! And happy June Solstice, everyone!

The sun is at its northernmost position today, hovering over the Tropic of Cancer like a thrown ball at its apex. It’s the longest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere and is commonly treated as the first day of summer. As a child, my father painstakingly laid out the night sky with glow-in-the-dark stars on his bedroom ceiling. He passed that curiosity and joy in the world’s magic on to us.

Here’s to happy summer days and family.

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Photo by Amber Faust on Unsplash

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A Cosmic Dance

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , on June 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

This week, Venus and Jupiter are in planetary conjunction, and unlike some astronomical events this one should be easy to see. 

Conjunction from Avebury

To see Venus and Jupiter together this month, you won’t need binoculars or even a telescope. Just look up after sunset and you’ll find them emerging as the sky grows dark near the western horizon.

Venus-Jupiter conjunction: Sky’s 2 brightest planets meet (includes a helpful video for orientation)

Venus and Jupiter – the sky’s 2 brightest planets – are shining together in the west after sunset. They were closest on June 8 and 9. But June overall offers your best opportunity to see them together.

Even more photos to pique your interest: 

Jupiter and Venus dazzle in planetary conjunction photos. Here are our favorites | Space

Enjoy the dance!

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Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

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Another Thing About the Moon

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on May 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

If you missed yesterday’s blue moon, don’t worry, it will still look full tonight too. And as I should also have mentioned, it’s a micromoon (the opposite of a supermoon). The moon is at apogee, or as far from us as it can get. Right now, that’s about 251,000 miles away. 

Here’s a NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day showing the difference between a supermoon and a micromoon. It’s not nothing! 

If you have a chance to see the (almost) full moon tonight, count yourself lucky. The next blue micromoon won’t happen until 2053.

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Photo by Federico Di Dio photography on Unsplash

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Blue Moon, Quite Soon

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2026| 1 Comment »

Tomorrow night is the second full moon of May, which makes it a blue moon. They are rare but not very, as they happen every two or three years. The next one won’t happen until December 2028.

And this month, there’s a bonus!

Blue Moon, 4 planets to shine during the final weekend of May

People who step outside at the end of the month to catch a glimpse of the rare lunar event should also be able to spot Venus and Jupiter in the western sky about an hour after sunset. Meanwhile, early risers should be able to see Mars and Saturn in the eastern sky about an hour before daybreak.

I wanted to let you know a day ahead of time in case you, like me, like to have these things on your calendar!

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Photo by Eileen Rollin on Unsplash

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Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on April 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

NASA reminded me that we have a new, if transitory, neighbor in the skies overhead. The comet PanSTARRS is making a quick visit and tonight is the closest it will come to the sun.

APOD- 2026 April 18 – PanSTARRS and Planets

This is a good weekend for northern hemisphere comet watchers to try to catch PanSTARRS an hour or so before sunrise, as the comet grows brighter approaching its perihelion on April 19. On April 26 the comet makes its closest approach to our fair planet but by then will be difficult to see in the solar glare. Good views of this comet PanSTARRS in late April and early May will be from the southern hemisphere.

If your skies are clear and dark, check it out!

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Photo by Justin Wolff on Unsplash

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